My Review of the new DUMBO movie (spoiler alert)

I went and saw the new DUMBO movie with my oldest son for Mother’s Day. We have great memories watching the original illustrated DUMBO master piece when he is little. For that reason alone, I wanted to love the new DUMBO movie..... but, I didn’t.

By now most of the Dumbo fans have seen the new Movie. It’s been out in the theater for a couple weeks. If you haven’t seen the latest DUMBO movie, but still desire to, please be weary because this post will contain spoilers.

I love Disney productions so very much. Mainly because they make me believe, even for a short moment, in the impossible. The impossible things like being sprinkled with pixie dust can help you chase shadows in the sky. The impossible things like a toy room being cleaned with just a snap of the fingers. And yes, The impossible things like seeing an elephant fly.

The new Dumbo fell flat. Sadly so. If you are looking to be transported to another world and be distracted from the stressors of life and it’s complexities this movie is not for you.

......Instead, dressed as a child’s movie, Dumbo is a harsh 2 hour+ lesson of the circus and a culture of animal abuse that use to entertain so many of us.

.......Instead, you will see a slight, very slight, resemblance to a classic storyline that is now almost all politically incorrect.

.....Instead, you will see the effects of war and sickness and it’s everlasting impact it has on children and the family unit. (And....of course in this story the human mom is deceased.......again. (Insert eye-roll here)

Don’t get me wrong all of these things need to be addressed and the conversation needs to be had but why? Why ruin the classic that meant so much to me?

My son and I went for Mother’s Day. With it’s “Baby of Mine” theme melody, it wasn’t the movie i was looking for.

This version is not about the value of motherhood or the bond between a mom elephant and a baby.

......Instead, It was about corruption, animal abuse, the toxic life the entertainment world can bring to humans, the war can bring, greed can bring, and in general, humanity has brought out since the original movie came out.

The roll of Timothy, the mouse, in the new version of Dumbo was almost completely eliminated. That character held so much of the story on his back in the original. The absence made me feel like a little something was missing through the whole film.

I keep asking myself why I keep going to the remakes of these original Disney films. I asked myself that over and over and over again during the duration of the DUMBO film, why do I keep returning? I just hope the one answer that I have come up with is wrong. Has Disney, the movie company at least, become so concerned about teaching us lessons about all that we have done and do wrong in our world that it has completely forgotten why so many of us need Disney in the first place, to entertain?

I can only speak for myself but I need Disney, whether on the movie screen or at the theme parks, to take me away even for just a moment. On the hard days, I need an escape from my reality where I feel overwhelmed and unable to find myself amongst the noise in this crazy world filled with brain tumors, heartache, kids growing up, me growing up, and goodbyes. I need for just 2 hours in front of a screen to feel the magic of something, anything. I need the opportunity after spending close to $50 at the movie theater to make a happy memory with my son not get a lecture.

DUMBO, the original movie was fiction it was fake. The new version became a weird blend of real harsh realities intertwined with a very fictional premise. It was twisted. Dear Disney, Elephants really don’t fly no matter how many elements of truth the real movie has brought to life. I am still scratching my head.